The first major of the year is behind us, and the next one isn'tuntil June. No World tour event is in the offing, and TigerWoods won't be out again until the May 11-14 GTE Byron NelsonClassic. We are in the midst of the first lull of the season onthe PGA Tour. Welcome to the Dead Zone.

Many players used the MCI Classic, on Hilton Head Island, S.C.,to decompress after the Masters, so the Dead Zone didn't beginuntil last week's Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic. Among thetop 20 players in the World Ranking, only six--the winner, HalSutton (fourth), a victory-starved Davis Love III (sixth),defending champ Jesper Parnevik (eighth), Jim Furyk (11th), TomLehman (13th) and Justin Leonard (19th)--showed up, so it was nosurprise we saw the likes of Barry Cheesman, Jonathan Kaye andOmar Uresti on the leader board.

This week's Shell Houston Open is even deader. Late pullouts byColin Montgomerie (third) and Vijay Singh (fifth) mean that onlythree top 20 players were scheduled to tee it up--the tirelessSutton, Carlos Franco (16th) and Leonard. Things will liven up abit next week at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans, where Suttonwill complete the Dead Zone Triple and be joined by defendingchamp Franco, Ernie Els (seventh), Nick Price (ninth) and PhilMickelson (12th). Still, just about everyone from last fall's Qschool will be there as well.

The Dead Zone is harvest time for rank-and-file players becauseit's easier to make a big check--and lock up a spot among thetop 125 on the money list, which guarantees a Tour card for nextyear--when the big dogs are not in the field. Of course, sayingso violates the Tour's macho code. "Everybody here believes hisbest stuff is good enough to beat anybody," says careernonwinner John Maginnes, currently 150th in earnings. "If youdon't, you're in the wrong profession." Adds Dennis Paulson, "Ican't imagine a player calling the Tour and asking which eventsTiger's not going to play in and then entering them."

Whatever. The reality is that for run-of-the-mill pros,tournaments such as the Tucson Open are a godsend. Playedopposite the Andersen Consulting Match Play, which featured thetop 64 players, this year's Tucson was won by journeyman JimCarter, with fellow travelers Chris DiMarco and Tom Scherrertying for second.

Last year several marginal players got new life during the DeadZone. At Houston, Mark Wiebe's fourth was his best finish of theyear and the biggest reason he finished 105th on the money list.At New Orleans, Craig Barlow and Eric Booker, who ended up 124thand 127th, respectively, on the money list and barely stayedexempt, tied for fourth. In addition to those unknown soldierswho played well last week, here are three other journeymen Ithink will rise from the Dead Zone this year.

1) Scott McCarron He's emerging from a yearlong slump. Lastseason he was 12th in New Orleans, where he won in 1996.

2) Dennis Paulson A talented power player who is excellent withhis wedges, he began a good run of tournaments about this timelast year, tying for fourth in New Orleans, where he set thecourse record in 1994 with a 62.

3) Frank Lickliter A steady campaigner who's due for a strongfinish, he was in the hunt at Houston last year until closingwith a 76. He also led in New Orleans after the first roundbefore coming in 28th.

Tour TrendNEW BALLS ARE MAKING A MARK

The wound ball, a staple of professionals for nearly a century,is losing its preeminence among better players. Wound, orthree-piece, balls--made with a liquid-filled rubber centersurrounded by rubber windings and a soft cover--have beenfavored by top professionals because they are easy to spin andcontrol. Even when new multilayered balls with softer syntheticcovers were introduced in the 1980s, most pros stayed with thetried and true. Today, though, more pros use nonwound balls thanever before. At the '99 Players Championship, for example, theDarrell Survey reported that 114 of the 144 Tour golfers used awound ball. This season 107 did. The trend is more apparent onthe Senior and LPGA tours. At last year's Countrywide Tradition,67 of the 79 Seniors used a wound ball. This season that numbershrank to 45 of 79. At last season's Nabisco Championship, 63 ofthe 103 women played a wound ball. At this year's tournamentjust 52 of 102 did.

While nonwound balls are making inroads overall, three-pieceballs continue to dominate in the winner's circle, at least ontwo American tours. This year 14 of 17 tournaments on the PGATour have been won by a player using a wound ball. The same hasbeen true in nine out of 10 LPGA events. On the Senior tour,however, only five of the 11 winners have used a wound ball.

The ball has traditionally been the one piece of equipment thatprofessionals are most reluctant to switch, so why are so manychanging now? The answer is money, improved technology and extradistance. Three large companies recently began making balls(Callaway, Nike and Taylor Made) and are pushing their productson the tours, offering some players six-figure contracts to playtheir ball.

The vast majority of pros, however, are paid only a small sum touse a particular ball--most are part of so-called performancepools and can earn up to $100,000 a week for winning a majorwhile playing a certain ball. Some of these players feel thatthe latest nonwound technology provides the control, spin andconsistency they desire. Finally, there is the belief thatnonwound balls go a few yards farther, which helps explain whythe switch has been more pronounced on the Senior and LPGAtours, where distance is particularly valued.

The LPGA will never be big time until it plugs the holes in itsschedule. A month ago the women had buzz. The Sorenstam sistersput an emotional end to Karrie Webb's winning streak, only tohave Webb top that with a 10-stroke triumph in the season'sfirst major. Then the LPGA went dark for three of fourweeks--and the buzz vanished.

ThreesomesWhat do these players have in common?

--Patty Berg--Nancy Lopez--Babe Didrikson Zaharias

They're the only women to reach 20 wins in less time than KarrieWebb since the LPGA's first full season in 1950.

FeedbackWould you use an illegal driver if it added 15 yards to your teeshots?

Yes 32%No 68%

--Based on 5,970 responses to our informal survey

Next question: Do you think David Duval will win a major thisyear? Vote at golfplus.cnnsi.com.

William Ely, Boynton Beach, Fla.Ely, an 88-year-old retired lieutenant general, shot a one-under71 at Quail Ridge Country Club. Since 1987, Ely has bettered hisage more than 1,300 times. A World War II veteran, Ely served onMidway Island, in Australia and in Japan and, after retiringfrom the military in 1966, owned and operated what is nowDogwood Hills Golf Course in Claysville, Pa.

Jess Daley, Kent, Wash.Daley, a senior at Northwestern, led the fifth-ranked Wildcatsto the team title at the Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus,Ohio, by taking medalist honors with a six-under 210. The weekbefore the Kepler, Daley finished third at the CompaqCollegiate, shooting a 10-under 62 in the final round atEldorado Golf Club in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Mitch Adams, Cary, N.C.Adams, 43, won the North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship witha three-under 213 at Treyburn Country Club in Durham. It was thefirst individual title for Adams, a former club pro who regainedhis amateur status in 1988. The victory earned Adams a berth onthe Carolinas team that will meet a squad of amateurs from theVirginias in October.

Submit Faces candidates to golfplus.cnnsi.com/faces.

Born to Win Major Championships

A very good year, 1957. It gave us classic versions of the ChevyNomad and the T-Bird, Sputnik and Miles Ahead. It was also themost abundant year for spawning championship golfers. Born in1957 were Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Price, PayneStewart, Bernhard Langer, Mark O'Meara, Jeff Sluman and WayneGrady. Among them, they have won 23 majors. Only the babies of1912--Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead--came close tomatching that number, combining for 21 majors. Nancy Lopez, whohas won three LPGA majors, was also born in 1957. Here's anupdate on the class.

Comment: The player who in 19 straight majors from 1988 through'92 never finished out of the top 20 is no more. Faldo'sproblems stem from horrible putting. He ranked 182nd in puttingin '98 and is 149th this year. But because his drive hasn'tdiminished, he has a chance to recapture some of his past glory.

Comment: Sadly, Seve, who last made a cut in a major at the 1996Masters, has fallen off the world. His swing is a disaster,though his short game and putting are still world class. Seve hastoo much mental scar tissue to hold up in a major again. As aworld-class player, he's done.

Comment: Still a perennial contender in the big ones, he has beensixth or better in four of the last eight majors. Price hits theball as solidly as anyone, but he simply doesn't putt well enoughto win. If he can lose his negative attitude on the greens, a laVijay Singh, Price might have one more major in him.

Comment: An easily distracted player, he was hyperattentive inthe majors, with 18 top 10s. Stewart was exceptional at shapingshots and playing around the greens. He also putted better inmajors. Stewart would have been extremely motivated to win aBritish, where he was second in '85 and '90.

BERNHARD LANGERBirthday: Aug. 27Majors: 1985 Masters, 1993 Masters

Comment: Last year he finished 11th at the Masters and 18th atthe British Open. Never a great ball striker, Langer has gottenshorter and less consistent, but he is a supreme course manager.Always in good shape, he could enjoy a Gary Player-likerenaissance late in his career.

MARK O'MEARABirthday: Jan. 13Majors: 1998 Masters, 1998 British Open

Comment: After a magnificent '98, O'Meara dropped off soprecipitously that he is considering a TV job. He missed the cutin three of the last four majors and is short and crooked offthe tee, but he can still putt as well as anyone. With TigerWoods pushing him, he isn't quite done.

JEFF SLUMANBirthday: Sept. 11Major: 1988 PGA Championship

Comment: He remains a steady major performer. A lack of lengthand a low ball flight hinder him in championship conditions;nevertheless, he has seven top 10 finishes in majors. Look forhim to get into contention occasionally and possibly pick up asurprise second major.

WAYNE GRADYBirthday: July 26Major: 1990 PGA Championship

Comment: He stopped being competitive after moving back toAustralia five years ago. Then again, his win at Shoal Creek andhis playoff loss at the '89 British Open were surprises. Whenhis 10-year Tour exemption expires at the end of this year, hewill be finished as a competitor.